Star-Crossed

- Year Two -

I was walking along Diagon Alley, late at night it seemed. A blanket of darkness had swept over everything, veiling all of the familiar shops and stores in a layer of silence and shadows. My eyes narrowed as I peered along the alley, trying to discover any true sense of familiarity as the shadows began to play tricks on me.

Something off was happening here. A feeling of dread settled in the pit of my stomach as I twisted my hands around the ends of my school sweater. I paused, then looked down at myself, doubling back in surprise when I realised I was clothed in my school uniform. But it was tattered, my sweater was stained with patches of dried crimson, parts of it were torn, there was blood on the collar of my white button down, half of my robe was hanging from my shoulder, and the very bottom hem of my sleeve was ripped. 

"What is going on?" I wondered aloud until a sudden shout, breaking through the silence of the night shattered through my ears. 

"Natalie!" My brother's voice was shouting, "Natalie, help, help me!" 

My neck snapped up, glancing around feverishly for any sign of Harry. But I saw none until my eyes landed on a shadowed figure nearly at the very top of the alleyway. But as soon as I'd seen it, it vanished, sprinting away quicker than I could catch up.

However, Harry's voice continued to shout, "Natalie, please! Please, help me!" 

My throat constricted as I started to break into a slow jog, gradually getting quicker and more frantic the more my brother's voice screamed and the closer I got to where his shadow had stood. His voice only got louder and louder the faster I ran, but the area he stood never drew nearer. 

The suddenly, my surroundings changed and I slipped on the cold cobblestone street, going crashing into a brick wall that appeared a mere foot away from me as I ran at full speed. I screamed in panic, but still slammed into it, groaning when my forehead made contact with the stone.

I slowly pulled myself off of the ground and collected my bearings. Harry's voice had stopped, but my breathing was still laboured as I scoured the area I found myself in for any sign of him. Had this been where he vanished to? I wasn't sure. 

Wherever I was, I didn't like it. If Diagon alley had been dark at night, this place was even darker. A sinister feeling covered every inch of the place as I slowly melded with the shadows, walking beneath an onyx brick archway. 

This alley was strange, far more cold than Diagon alley had been, sweat had begun to cover my body, but aside from that, every inch of this place was nearly blanketed by a sheen of frost. Even my breath plumed at my lips, revealing just how cold it was here. 

"Where am I?" I whispered, to myself, not expecting an answer. Then, above me, I was quickly startled by the sudden cawing of a crow, perched on a sign.

It read Knockturn Alley. A fitting name for this horrid place. 

Then, I heard him again.

"Natalie! Where are you?" Harry was crying, his voice cracking, "Natalie, please!"

Fear gripped my throat like an ashen hand of the dead, harsh and unyielding as I screamed, whipping my body around to face the direction of the scream, "Harry!"

But I found nothing, and then felt nothing as well. No cold, no sweat. Everything was dry now, and slightly warm. The alley had melted away, and now I was standing in the parlor of a store. 

Glinting lanterns hung on the walls, bathing the floor in soft candlelight. I looked around and noticed items covered every inch of this place. Strange curios and mysterious items were placed haphazardly across the entire floorplan of this establishment.